MANAGING
TECHNOSTRESS
Cari Dubiel
NEO-RLS Staff Day
October 14, 2013
TODAY’S GOALS
 Define technostress and understand when it is happening
 Learn techniques to manage technostress in daily life and on
the job
 Learn techniques to help patrons deal with technostress –
without losing your cool
WHAT IS TECHNOSTRESS?
Take a few moments to think about
a frustrating experience with
technology.
What emotions come to mind?
TECHNOSTRESS DEFINITION
stress or psychosomatic illness caused by
working with computer technology on a
daily basis.
BUT THERE’S MORE…
Stressors are different for everyone.
Take another moment to think. What are the most
common experiences that cause you stress when it
comes to technology?
YOU MAY NOT HAVE THOUGHT OF…
 Compulsion to check e-mail or texts
 Habitual multitasking causes scatterbrained thoughts
 Pressure to respond to demands in real time
 The technology must work in order to meet deadlines
 How tech creates a work-home conflict
 “Continuous partial attention”
HOW TO IDENTIFY TECHNOSTRESS
Identify your personal triggers
Watch for triggers in others: your colleagues,
people you manage, patrons (they might be
different!)
Acknowledge when it is happening, vent if you have
to, then move on to finding a solution
TECHNIQUES FOR YOU
What techniques have you used in dealing with
stress?
Alter the stressor
Accept the stressor
Adapt to the stressor
TECHNOSTRESS TECHNIQUES
Take a deep breath. Step away from the computer.
Unplug if you can
Identify the trigger and the problem
Ask for help
Approach the computer or tablet like a reference
question
Do something different that you are confident
about
MORE TOOLS YOU CAN USE
“News fasting” – one day a week, do not look at
the news
Create boundaries: no email after 5pm; turn off cell
phone while at work; no Facebook at work
Meditation
Rewards: when you complete a task, get a cup of
tea
CASE STUDY
Mina is a reference librarian at a medium-sized public library.
She is trying to create a report of the 500s so she can weed
them. First she has to export the data from her ILS, and then
she has to format the data in Excel. If she doesn’t weed the
books by the end of the week, it will impact her performance
evaluation. Her supervisor has been emailing her periodically
to remind her of this.
What is the potential for Mina’s stress?
What can Mina do to reduce her stress?
HELPING PATRONS
What situations have you witnessed at the
reference desk or in your computer lab?
TECHNIQUES FOR PATRONS
 Identify the stressor or trigger
 Think of a course of action: what can help immediately?
What can help in a few minutes? Triage!
 What resources can you give the patron?
 Other staff members
 Books or databases
 Do not take anything personally!
 Follow your tried and true techniques for you – once you
get off the floor
CASE STUDY
Brian is a patron working on an assignment for his university
class. It is his first class, and he is taking the course online. For
the first session, he has to write a paper, create a works cited
page, log in to a Blackboard account, upload the paper to
Blackboard, and participate in a discussion about other class
members’ papers.
What are the possible sources for Brian’s technostress?
What can the librarian do to help Brian?
THANK YOU!
SOURCES – FURTHER READING
 “Crossing to the Dark Side: Examining Creators, Outcomes, and
Inhibitors of Technostress.” Tarafdar, Monideepa et al.
 “Technostress: Technological Antecedents and Implications.” Ayyagari,
Ramakrishna, Grover,Varun, & Purvis, Russell.
 “The Evolution of Technostress.” Ennis, Lisa A.
 “Technostress: A Sign of the Times.” Conner, Michaelene.
All articles can be accessed full-text via EBSCO